History Main / ToughRoom

Character who are constantly making witty jokes and wry observations, no matter how clever and funny they are, will not elicit more than a smile from the rest of the cast. Real people might consider them charmers, but in-universe they are seen as annoying losers.

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Character Characters who are constantly making witty jokes and wry observations, no matter how clever and funny they are, will not elicit more than a smile from the rest of the cast. Real people might consider them charmers, but in-universe they are seen as annoying losers.

* Yorick from ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' peppers his speech with pop culture references, to which 355 reacts with indifference and Dr Mann with snarkiness. This can be read as either an example or a subversion of the trope, depending on how funny you think he is.

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* Yorick from ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' peppers his speech with pop culture references, to which 355 reacts with indifference and Dr Dr. Mann with snarkiness. This can be read as either an example or a subversion of the trope, depending on how funny you think he is.

** This was actually first introduced as a way to hide the canned laughter showrunner Aaron Sorkin had been stuck with in the early days of the series. He hated it, so for most of his funny lines, he tried to have a couple characters just off camera so viewers could at least pretend that the canned laughter came from ''somewhere''. Later, when they were able to get rid of it, they kept the characters laughing at each others' jokes.

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** This was actually first introduced as a way to hide the canned laughter showrunner Aaron Sorkin had been stuck with in within the early days of the series. He hated it, so for most of his funny lines, he tried to have a couple characters just off camera so viewers could at least pretend that the canned laughter came from ''somewhere''. Later, when they were able to get rid of it, they kept the characters laughing at each others' jokes.

* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' has a lot of witty one-liners, mostly done by Hawkeye, but there wasn't many times when people were laughing. Most probably because the [[WarIsHell situation]] they were in and Hawkeye was like an early Chandler.* This is noticably averted in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', where this trope is a pet peeve of the writers. Anytime a character on the show is intentionally telling a joke, only the actor playing the character telling the joke is told the joke beforehand. Thus, the other characters listening to the joke will laugh, or at least smirk, at the joke since [[EnforcedMethodActing this is the first time the other actors have heard it.]]

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* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' has a lot of witty one-liners, mostly done by Hawkeye, but there wasn't weren't many times when people were laughing. Most probably because the [[WarIsHell situation]] they were in and Hawkeye was like an early Chandler.* This is noticably noticeably averted in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', where this trope is a pet peeve of the writers. Anytime a character on the show is intentionally telling a joke, only the actor playing the character telling the joke is told the joke beforehand. Thus, the other characters listening to the joke will laugh, or at least smirk, at the joke since [[EnforcedMethodActing this is the first time the other actors have heard it.]]

* While ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' does use ActuallyPrettyFunny quite a lot, too - it's set in a very aggressive environment where being funnier than everyone around you is both a survival strategy and proof of dominance - it's worth pointing out that even characters treated by everyone else as stupid (like ManChild Phil) or annoying (BeleagueredBureaucrat Terri) are all far, far funnier, wittier and quicker than anyone could possibly be in real life. This comes under AcceptableBreaksFromReality in that these characterisations are expressed instead by the ''quality'' of their observations, rather than not having them make them (for instance, the other Coalition politicians disgustedly remark that all of Phil's clever references and comparisons are to fiction, usually fantasy fiction (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''), fiction aimed at children (''Series/DoctorWho''), or both (''Literature/HarryPotter''). It's also played with in that even though Malcolm is acknowledged in-universe as an incredibly funny person, most other characters are [[TheDreaded far too terrified of him]] to dare laugh at anything he does most of the time.

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* While ''Series/TheThickOfIt'' does use ActuallyPrettyFunny quite a lot, too - it's too--it's set in a very aggressive environment where being funnier than everyone around you is both a survival strategy and proof of dominance - it's dominance--it's worth pointing out that even characters treated by everyone else as stupid (like ManChild Phil) or annoying (BeleagueredBureaucrat Terri) are all far, far funnier, wittier and quicker than anyone could possibly be in real life. This comes under AcceptableBreaksFromReality in that these characterisations characterizations are expressed instead by the ''quality'' of their observations, rather than not having them make them (for instance, the other Coalition politicians disgustedly remark that all of Phil's clever references and comparisons are to fiction, usually fantasy fiction (''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''), fiction aimed at children (''Series/DoctorWho''), or both (''Literature/HarryPotter''). It's also played with in within that even though Malcolm is acknowledged in-universe as an incredibly funny person, most other characters are [[TheDreaded far too terrified of him]] to dare laugh at anything he does most of the time.

** In "Night of the Living Duck", Daffy dreams he's about to perform in at a nightclub where the the audience, is made up of famous monsters, mostly the UniversalMonsters "Gee, tough audience!" he quips. Fortunately, he finds a bottle of "Eu de Torme", that lets him sing like Mel Torme (who does his singing voice in the cartoon) and he's a hit.

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** In "Night of the Living Duck", Daffy dreams he's about to perform in at a nightclub where the the audience, is made up of famous monsters, mostly the UniversalMonsters "Gee, tough audience!" he quips. Fortunately, he finds a bottle of "Eu de Torme", that lets him sing like Mel Torme (who does his singing voice in the cartoon) and he's a hit.

* [[Film/{{Arthur}} Arthur Bach]], a FunPersonified [[LonelyRichKid millionaire playboy]], deals with this ''constantly'' and often finds himself the only one laughing -- and comments upon that. ("Tell me, has there been a death in your family? This is funny stuff here.") He drops the trope name when he visits his fiance's humorless father and can't make the butler or him crack a smile with his quips about such things as the stuffed-and-mounted moose head on the wall. "This is a tough room -- I don't need to tell you [the moose] that." One reason he and working-class Linda fall in love is because she ''does'' appreciate his sense of humor.

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* [[Film/{{Arthur}} Arthur Bach]], a FunPersonified [[LonelyRichKid millionaire playboy]], deals with this ''constantly'' and often finds himself the only one laughing -- and comments upon that. ("Tell me, has there been a death in your family? This is funny stuff here.") ") He drops the trope name when he visits his fiance's humorless father and can't make the butler or him crack a smile with his quips about such things as the stuffed-and-mounted moose head on the wall. "This is a tough room -- I don't need to tell you [the moose] that." One reason he and working-class Linda fall in love is because she ''does'' appreciate his sense of humor.

* [[Film/{{Arthur}} Arthur Bach]], a FunPersonified [[LonelyRichKid millionaire playboy]], deals with this ''constantly'' and often finds himself the only one laughing -- and comments upon that. ("Tell me, has there been a death in your family? This is funny stuff here.") He drops the trope name when he visits his fiance's humorless father and can't make the butler or him crack a smile with his quips about such things as the stuffed-and-mounted moose head on the wall. "This is a tough room -- I don't need to tell you [the moose] that." One reason he and working-class Linda fall in love is because she ''does'' appreciate his sense of humor.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In the episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E2DinosaursOnASpaceship Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]," the Doctor shows Rory and Rory's father how to pilot a spaceship designed for Silurians; essentially, TheReptilians.-->'''The Doctor:''' The controls are straightforward; even a monkey could use them! Oh look, they're going to!\\''[{{beat}}]''\\'''The Doctor:''' Guys, come on, comedy gold! Where's a ''Silurian'' audience when you need one!

** There's one scene where the name of Ollie's favourite film temporarily slips Malcolm's mind and so he describes it as "the one about the fucking hairdresser, the [[RecycledINSPACE space hairdresser]] and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin. His father's a robot and he's fuckin' [[BrotherSisterIncest fucked his sister]]. {{LEGO}}, they're all made of fucking LEGO." Even after Ollie figures out what the film is ([[spoiler: ''Film/StarWars'']]), he reacts with bewilderment and mild annoyance instead of the hysterical laughter this would more likely cause.

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** There's one scene where the name of Ollie's favourite film temporarily slips Malcolm's mind and so he describes it as "the one about the fucking hairdresser, the [[RecycledINSPACE space hairdresser]] and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin. His father's a robot and he's fuckin' [[BrotherSisterIncest fucked his sister]]. {{LEGO}}, they're all made of fucking LEGO." Even after Ollie figures out what the film is ([[spoiler: ''Film/StarWars'']]), ([[spoiler:''Film/StarWars'']]), he reacts with bewilderment and mild annoyance instead of the hysterical laughter this would more likely cause.

[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]* Comedian Creator/RodneyDangerfield would often incorporate a "tough crowd" into his stand-up comedy, pulling at his necktie and sweating along with self-deprecating humor, as part of his signature style.* Part of Creator/StewartLee's SignatureStyle is to point out when an audience doesn't laugh enough at a joke (usually an intentionally bad one), scold them, and [[DontExplainTheJoke explain it to them]]. All in the name of StylisticSuck, of course.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]* Comedian Creator/RodneyDangerfield would often incorporate a "tough crowd" into his stand-up comedy, pulling at his necktie and sweating along with self-deprecating humor, as part of his signature style.* Part of Creator/StewartLee's SignatureStyle is to point out when an audience doesn't laugh enough at a joke (usually an intentionally bad one), scold them, and [[DontExplainTheJoke explain it to them]]. All in the name of StylisticSuck, of course.[[/folder]]

If a character in any given show is constantly cracking wise and making wry observations, no matter how clever and funny they are, they never elicit so much as a smirk from any of the other characters. While in real life genuinely funny and charming people are social darlings, in TV land they're more seen as annoying losers.

The prime examples would have to be [[Series/{{Friends}} Chandler Bing]] and [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander Harris]], who -- in their early seasons, at least -- were funnier than just about anyone in real life, yet got nothing back but eye-rolling and sighs. You wonder why they hang out with these people.

Of course, it's all for the best. Constantly chuckling characters would drive viewers insane (a [[LaughTrack constantly chuckling audience]] does nothing of the sort, [[SarcasmMode of course]]), especially if they're [[HumorDissonance laughing at a joke the viewer doesn't find funny.]]

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If a character in any given show is Character who are constantly cracking wise and making witty jokes and wry observations, no matter how clever and funny they are, they never will not elicit so much as more than a smirk smile from any the rest of the other characters. While in real life genuinely funny and charming cast. Real people might consider them charmers, but in-universe they are social darlings, in TV land they're more seen as annoying losers.

The prime examples would have to be [[Series/{{Friends}} Chandler Bing]] and [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander Harris]], who -- in their early seasons, at least -- were funnier than just about anyone in real life, yet got nothing back but eye-rolling and sighs. You wonder why they hang out with these people.

Of course, it's all There is good reason for the best. this. Constantly chuckling characters would drive viewers insane (a (oddly, having a [[LaughTrack constantly chuckling audience]] does nothing of the sort, [[SarcasmMode of course]]), has a similar effect but is far more common), especially if they're [[HumorDissonance laughing at a joke the viewer doesn't find funny.]]

Reason: The description was calling specific characters as funny, which is to be avoided. The whole middle paragraph was unneeded.

* Despite what it says at the top of the page, in ''Series/{{Friends}}'' a couple of episodes made something out of the fact that Chandler is "the funny one", so apparently the other characters do at least understand that he's being witty even if they can't bring themselves to laugh.** The in-universe justification for the other Friends not laughing at Chandler's jokes is because 1) they're often the targets of his barbs, and 2) he makes little jokes all the time.*** Most likely the fact because he makes light of his friends' little crises, to the point where Rachel gets visibly annoyed with his snarkery at times.** In early episodes, the other friends were shown chuckling at Chandler's jokes once in a while. In fact, you can see the others laugh less and less at Chandler as the series goes on, and get more and more irritated with his quips.*** If you've ever known someone who jokes to the degree that Chandler does, [[TruthInTelevision you'll understand this fully.]] It's not just the jokes themselves, it's the [[HurricaneOfPuns constant nature of them.]]

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* Despite what it says at the top of the page, in ''Series/{{Friends}}'' a couple of episodes made something out of the fact that In ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Chandler is "the sometimes acknowledged as funny one", so apparently by the other characters do at least understand that he's being witty even if they can't bring themselves to laugh.** The in-universe justification for the other Friends not laughing at Chandler's jokes is because 1) they're often the targets of his barbs, and 2) he makes little jokes all the time.*** Most likely the fact because he makes light of his friends' little crises, to the point where Rachel gets visibly annoyed with his snarkery at times.** In others in early episodes, the other friends were shown chuckling at Chandler's jokes once in a while. In fact, you can see the others but they laugh less and less at Chandler as the series goes on, and get more and more irritated with suggesting they are getting tired of him. It doesn't help that most of his quips.*** If you've ever known someone who jokes to the degree that Chandler does, [[TruthInTelevision you'll understand this fully.]] It's not just the jokes themselves, it's the [[HurricaneOfPuns constant nature of them.]]are about them and their crises.

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